Undeterred By Slow Start, No. 18/19 Harvard Scores 41 Unanswered Points In Win Over Cornell

Despite trailing Cornell by double digits at the end of the first quarter, No. 18/19 Harvard scored 41 unanswered points to steamroll the Big Red 41-29 in an offensive showcase at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.

After managing a field goal on its opening drive, Cornell (2-2, 1-1 Ivy League) picked off the Crimson’s (4-0, 2-0) first play from scrimmage and took a 10-0 lead on the ensuing drive. From there, Harvard scored on all but two of its remaining drives and recorded three takeaways in the second and third quarters, pummeling the hosts on both sides of the ball until the Big Red picked up three late touchdowns against a Crimson defense resting many of its starters.

The comfortable conference victory marks an important statement on the season for Harvard, who are on the heels of consecutive one-score wins. After escaping with a 14-10 win against Brown and needing an unfathomable Hail Mary-lateral touchdown on the last play of the game to defeat No. 23 Colgate 20-17 last week, Saturday’s win came in a less dramatic fashion after 17 points in the first nine minutes of the second half gave the Crimson a 38-10 lead.

Sophomore quarterback Charlie Smith put together his tidiest performance of the season, completing 23 of 27 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception, on the first pass of the game, came on a deep, on-target pass that was bobbled by sophomore wide receiver Ryan Tattersall into the arms of junior defensive back Tyler Gibson, the only blemish on an otherwise nearly perfect afternoon.

Harvard’s defense allowed 86 rushing yards in the first quarter alone despite giving up an average of just 93 per game prior to today. But the defense buckled down, allowing 19 yards and no first downs on Cornell’s 10 third-quarter plays to ice the game behind the offense’s strong performance.

Junior defensive back Xaden Benson intercepted his sixth pass of the season in that third quarter. After four consecutive games with a pick, the Atlanta, Ga., native continues to lead Division I in interceptions and sits just two interceptions shy of the program record for picks in a season.

The Crimson will look to continue its undefeated season in its final non-conference game next week when Holy Cross (2-4, 2-2 Patriot League) comes to Harvard Stadium. The game will kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT.

—Staff writer Maxwell P. Friedman can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Samuel S. Rudavsky can be reached at [email protected].